"Great romantic fantasy"

At the final battle with Toth near the Ronval l River, the king is killed and the general is mortally injured. Command fell to Fadrun who felt unequal to the task and promised the king's baseborn son Sif that if he would lead the men he would throw the army behind him and make him king. The true heir Anghara went into hiding as Sif led a pogrom against the Sighted (people with psi powers).

Anghara returns from the desert realm of Kheidrun, where she has grown into her powers. On her first day back on her native soil she is captured by Sif's men and thrown into the dungeon where she resides for months until her loyal friend Kieman rescues her and takes her back to Kheldrum to heal and regain the Sight that was lost in Sif's dungeons. Her allies back home prepare the people for her return because this time when Anghara returns, she expects to take back the crown, the castle and the realm with the help of her subjects.

The sequel to THE HIDDEN QUEEN is a beautiful fantasy with a protagonist who is strong and vulnerable at the same time. When she first fled the castle she was nine years old, untrained in the sight and unable to lead a nation; in the intervening years she grew up to be a courageous and strong-willed royal, ready to take back what is hers with the help of the man who loves her and kept her name alive in the hearts and minds of the people. Alma Alexander is a terrific storyteller who creates an imaginary world that seems very real.

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 17, 2005

Summary

The child Anghara Kir Hama was forced to flee the kingdom she rightfully ruled, escaping the murderous wrath of her brother, the usurper, who would see her dead to secure the throne. But her years spent in a strange desert land -- honing the miraculous power called Sight -- have forever changed the young queen. And now it is time to claim what is hers. But treachery greets Anghara upon her return to a realm suffering under the cruelty of the bloodthirsty tyrant Sif. In the dungeons of her enemy, she awaits an inevitable death, robbed of the gift that set her apart from all others. Yet those who have sworn to defend her will not rest until their cherished queen is safe, including one whose noble heart belongs to her alone. For young Anghara's remarkable destiny is greater than crowns and countries -- greater even than the fearsome Old Gods who must stand down to make way for the Changer of Days.